[thathertz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muz640 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ive had both the BM Dac Pre and the Dacmagic, the Dacmagic is more than a match for the BM Dac SQ wise if running both through the balance outputs, to my ears and in my system the Dacmagic actually sounded a bit bigger soundstage wise and a bit more dynamic than the Benchmark (im running a Maplin 3VA tranformer to supply the Dacmagic, £15 from Maplins) Where the BM Dac wins out is in excellent functionality. I think the Benchmark Dac (like everything!) is a lot better value in the US, than it is in the UK.

That's interesting. I had a conversation with a guy in the UK who sells
and modifies mainly very high end equipment (like the dCS Scarlatti DAC)
He's worked on quite a few DacMagic's and Benchmark units and said that
there was not much between them soundwise. The Benchmark (if I
remember rightly) was said to be 'slightly more refined' - to his ears.

A quick Google shows the Benchmark Pre selling at around $1600
compared to $429 for the DacMagic.

The Benchmark Pre also weighs more (probably).

 

[muz640]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thathertz /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's interesting. I had a conversation with a guy in the UK who sells and modifies mainly very high end equipment (like the dCS Scarlatti DAC) He's worked on quite a few DacMagic's and Benchmark units and said that there was not much between them soundwise. The Benchmark (if I remember rightly) was said to be 'slightly more refined' - to his ears. A quick Google shows the Benchmark Pre selling at around $1600 compared to $429 for the DacMagic. The Benchmark Pre also weighs more (probably).

He's right there isn't much in it sound wise! Thats why i kept the Dacmagic and sold the BM Dac pre.
If you at the measured performance from the graphs of Stereophile, they measure near enough the same.
A think the Dacmagic has a little bit more warmth for whatever reason, the treble top end of the BM Dac is a little more open.

For the price the Dacmagic is excellent, I thought the BM dac would be lots better, it isnt, apart from the obvious functionality. Im not really sure what Dac id have to buy to better the Dacmagic, or how much id have to spend.

 

[thathertz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muz640 /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the price the Dacmagic is excellent, I thought the BM dac would be lots better, it isnt, apart from the obvious functionality. Im not really sure what Dac id have to buy to better the Dacmagic, or how much id have to spend.

The Meier StageDAC is looking good but more reviews are needed, not to
mention a comparison with the DacMagic!

 

[muz640]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thathertz /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Meier StageDAC is looking good but more reviews are needed, not to mention a comparison with the DacMagic!

It looks like a very versatile Dac, it has a preamp out too.

 

[Glenn2]

Interesting stuff on the Benchmark comparisons!

(I'm the Glenn from the diyaudio thread by the way.)

I'm still experimenting with the DM, at the moment with the decoupling of the opamps. (Strictly speaking, 'bypassing' is the correct term.)

The 7815/7915 regulators (+15V/-15V) have only a small 10uF after them, and then many inches of PCB trace to the opamps, which are only bypassed with small (probably 0.1uF) SMD caps.

I think that's why the bass is still a little lacking in weight. I need to buy some parts before I can proceed. I may swap out the NE5532 for one of the AD chips AD8620/AD8066/AD8599 also. Note that the first two would necessitate the use of 12V regulators instead of 15V, which also makes the 9VAC transformer a must or the heat problem will get even worse.

Currently I have the Zapfilter2 hooked up as well as the op-amps, and the op-amps have 470uF Panasonic FC caps on them as an experiment. My goal is to bring the op-amp stage to a level better than the Zapfilter. (I actually did this with my Marantz CD67SE, which is why I have the spare Zapfilter!).

The caps on the op-amps has definitely helped the bass. The best solution would probably be to piggy-back some 47uF caps on top of those SMD caps, and replace the 10uF at the regulators with something in the 100uF-470uF range.

Anyway, this is all theory at the moment...

Glenn

 

[FauDrei]

Nice Glenn... looking forward to your findings.

BTW, I suppose that two "shorted" output electrolytics can be used in regulator bypassing? IIRC they are 470uF non-polars.

Also, do you bypass opamps by adding caps from V+ and V- to ground or just a cap from V+ to V-?

 

[Glenn2]

Well they could do, but better to use polarised 105deg caps of decent quality, but nothing too special. The best ones should be at the op-amps.

Something like Panasonic FC at the regulators.
For the op-amps Elna Silmic II, Nichicon Muse KG/KZ, Black Gates, etc.

For bypassing op-amps, you can do it either way. Some say going from both rails to ground causes ac loops through the ground plane and it's better to just go +V to -V. I usually do +V to gnd and -V to gnd, but sometimes with really fast op-amps (e.g. LM6172) I also put a 100nF film cap on top of the chip from +V to -V as well. What works best can vary so it pays to play around with it a bit.

 

[GeoD]

I recently got my Dacmagic in and have been listening to it for the past few days, breaking it in. I don't post on head-fi much only because whenever I do I end up spending more money, but I wanted to take the time to give my thoughts of the Dacmagic compared to the Pico amp/dac I was using as a DAC.

Equipment used prior to getting the Dacmagic:

Headphone: Denon AH-D2000 markl modded, wooden cups and Jena labs balanced cable
Amp: RudiStor NX-33 balanced amp
DAC: HeadAmp Pico DAC/amp
Interconnects: Jena labs

I was pleased with my setup, enough to not make me think about upgrading. However, I did want to see what a balance source had to offer and it was pretty much an even swap for my Pico and the Dacmagic, so I figured why not.

I ordered a Turtle Beach USB sound card to utilize the spdif out to run to the DM and I picked up some cheap balanced XLR cables while I wait for my ilkaudio balanced cables to arrive.

My first thing I noticed when I plugged in the DM compared to the Pico was the volume on my amp could be turned up quite a bit more without feeling uncomfortable to my ears. My first day of listening was spent at this higher volume only because my ears were used to listening at a similar level when the Pico was in use. The music did sound more "musical" and the music was cleaned up a bit. At this point I was up in the air if I liked the difference of the DM or not.

I let a few days go by to burn in the DM and get all of my ASIO4All settings optimized, etc. I also wanted to make sure I didn't rush my impressions and wanted to get in 50 hours or so of listening in.

One of the first things I noticed was that the DM tamed my bass even further than when using the Pico. I didn't think this was possible after the cable upgrades and markl mods, in general, the Denon's are known as bass heavy cans. Not so much any more! The bass is ultra clear now and zero thoughts of it being boomy. In fact there are some songs where I sit there and think, could I really benefit from a more powerful amp now? Scary thought for me at least. When I got the NX-33 I thought it was be my end all amp. Once I realized that the DM had to do with taming the bass, I didn't worry too much about turning the volume up as high. I was trying to replicate the bass impact that the Pico was giving me, but after putting in the listening time, now appreciate how the DM handles the bass. The best way to describe it now is you can actually visualize someone whaling on a drum creating the bass line, more realistic.

The mids and highs were definitely improved from the Pico. Highs take on a new life and sound more energetic without adding any sibilance (depending on my filter setting which I'll get to in a bit). They sound crisper and more detailed. Notes sound airier and spacious and sound stage has been improved a little bit. Vocals stand out a little more than the Pico as well as the rest of the mids. Part of these conclusions is because the bass has been recessed IMO.

One thing I was hoping for was to eliminate the tiny amount of hiss coming from the amp when there is no music playing. I was told it was because I was going from a single ended input to a balanced output. Now that my setup is fully balanced, I expected that to go away. It was reduced a little, but it's still there. Once I turn my volume from 7 o'clock (no music) to 8 o'clock, you couldn't hear the noise. I typically will listen around 9 o'clock to save my ears, but you can safely reach around 11 to 12 o'clock without any audible distortion, just a tickle in my ear saying, hey, you might want to turn it down before you go deaf!

I played around with the filters last night when I was in a serious listening mode. I decided that the Min setting was best for me. It sounded crisper, more detailed and precise compared to the other settings. If I recall correctly the Lin setting had a little more trail off of notes, but I felt it cluttered the music a tad and prefer a faster decay on fast cymbals, etc. It almost gave it a ghost like feeling if that's a word to describe the music. I also had the tendency to think I needed to lower the volume more often when using the Lin setting. The Steep setting had that same effect as the Lin setting, but also gave a little more punch to the bass. Not enough to replicate what the Pico was offering, but a little more. The best way I can describe it was it was more wavy, meaning the bass line flowed more and resonated louder, which also made me turn it down at higher volumes compared to the other settings. I prefer the more analytical and detailed settings for electronica / trance music and that's primarily what I listen to. I'll have to do some more testing on other genres to see if I prefer any of the other settings.

Overall, it has made a noticeable improvement over my music and I appreciate the subtle differences the DM has to offer over my Pico. I'm interested to see if the upgraded balanced cables make any improvement in my setup.

I'll snap some new pics of the rig soon. Just wanted to offer my impressions of the unit.

Happy listening!

 

[GeoD]

Some pics of the new setup...

 

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[thathertz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoD /img/forum/go_quote.gif I recently got my Dacmagic in ......<SNIP>.................. Happy listening!

Really enjoyed hearing your impressions. My last amp was a Rudistor
NX-02 and it had great synergy with the DM

Glad you like the 'min'
setting. I've tried really hard to appreciate the other filter settings but
with my setup the 'min' setting produces a larger soundstage, a more
balanced representation (with respect to bass, mids and treble) and a
more natural sound. I've tried with many different music genres but overall
the 'min' setting works best for 90% of my music.

I've looked to upgrade from the DM on several occasions but I honestly
don't think there is any DAC that can provide a significantly great
improvement without spending around 5 times the price. (I paid £200).

Enjoy!

 

[GeoD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thathertz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really enjoyed hearing your impressions. My last amp was a Rudistor NX-02 and it had great synergy with the DM Glad you like the 'min' setting. I've tried really hard to appreciate the other filter settings but with my setup the 'min' setting produces a larger soundstage, a more balanced representation (with respect to bass, mids and treble) and a more natural sound. I've tried with many different music genres but overall the 'min' setting works best for 90% of my music. I've looked to upgrade from the DM on several occasions but I honestly don't think there is any DAC that can provide a significantly great improvement without spending around 5 times the price. (I paid £200). Enjoy!

Thanks for the reply.

How do you like your new amp compared to the NX-02? I really don't know where I'd go from here or if I plan to anytime soon. I'd need a beast of an amp to make a decent improvement on that end, perhaps a custom B22 or something. Originally I was looking at the Lavry DA-11, but I figured I'd give the DM a shot considering it hardly cost me anything out of pocket.

I also considered going the route of an Apache. Beyond those, I haven't given any upgrades much thought, neither has my wallet!

How much better is that next level of listening experience? I'm glad I never went to a meet to find out.

Have a good weekend

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoD /img/forum/go_quote.gif How much better is that next level of listening experience? I'm glad I never went to a meet to find out.

Think about the B32s and B22 as your next step

 

[thathertz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoD /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the reply. How do you like your new amp compared to the NX-02? I really don't know where I'd go from here or if I plan to anytime soon. I'd need a beast of an amp to make a decent improvement on that end, perhaps a custom B22 or something. Originally I was looking at the Lavry DA-11, but I figured I'd give the DM a shot considering it hardly cost me anything out of pocket. I also considered going the route of an Apache. Beyond those, I haven't given any upgrades much thought, neither has my wallet! How much better is that next level of listening experience? I'm glad I never went to a meet to find out. Have a good weekend

I heard the Apache quite some time ago. It was just ok.

My Singlepower MPX3 is a big step up from the NX-02 but it has ALOT
of upgrades. The MPX3 gives a more holographic soundstage, better
seperation of instruments, really hard hitting bass which (considering
this is a tube amp and I have low impedance phones) is controlled and
not in the slightest bit boomy. There is a sense of a huge power reserve -
the MPX3 never runs out of steam regardless of the demands of the music
and the volume level.

I must say I was floored by the MPX3. It was my first tube amp and while
was expecting great things I thought the signature sound would be more
laid back and characteristically (for a tube amp) overly warm.

That's definitely not the case.

(Please be aware of the potential issues surrounding SP amps. Despite the
sh** storm, the SP amps still take some beating - you just have to hear one.)

Anyway, all things considered and if I had the cash, I would probably
still go for a b22 - this seems to be the end of the road for many people.
(Mentioned by L'il Knight above - totally agree!)

That's not to say there isn't alot of fun to be had along the way

Enjoy what you have and give it some time.

It's much more enjoyable listening to music than worrying about
equipment upgrades. It took me quite a long time and a lot of money
to realise that

Close your browser, close your eyes and listen to some music.

 

[Bloodoath]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoD /img/forum/go_quote.gif One thing I was hoping for was to eliminate the tiny amount of hiss coming from the amp when there is no music playing. I was told it was because I was going from a single ended input to a balanced output. Now that my setup is fully balanced, I expected that to go away. It was reduced a little, but it's still there."

My DM is dead quiet. I'm partly balanced from the DAC into my Amp/Mixer to my phones. I hear no hiss in this setup. I'd look to see if the TB sound card or other component to turned up too high.